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Have you ever heard someone say that someone has their head buried in the sand? Do they mean that another person has literally buried their head in a hole in the ground and covered it with sand? Of course not!

What in the world are they talking about then? When people say someone has their head buried in the sand, they are claiming that the person is ignoring obvious facts or refusing to accept advice, hoping that simply denying the existence of a problem will make it go away.

This popular metaphor is believed to have originated with observations of ostriches that appear to bury their heads in the sand to avoidpredators. Some people think this behavior results from the fact that ostriches are so stupid that they believe burying their heads will make them invisible to predators. In other words, if they can't see the predators, then the predators can't see them.

Animal experts, however, will tell you that this belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to avoid predators is nothing more than a myth. After all, if an ostrich buried its head in the sand, it would soon die of asphyxiation. Given what we know about ostriches, though, it's easy to see how this myth got started.

Ostriches are the largest and heaviest living birds in the world. Despite standing seven to nine feet tall and weighing as much as 350 pounds, these birds have relatively small heads. When nesting, they dig shallow holes in the ground to use as nests for their eggs. They use their beaks to turn their eggs several times each day. From a distance, an ostrich leaning into a hole to turn an egg could easily look like it's burying its head in the sand!

This myth could also have arisen from a couple of other ostrich behaviors. For example, when ostriches eat plants along the ground, they could easily look like they've buried their heads in the sand, especially from a distance. Likewise, ostriches often lie down flat on the ground when they feel threatened. From a distance, all that's visible is their large body, leading some to think that the rest may be buried.

Even though they get a bad rap, ostriches are very interesting birds. Native to Africa, they tend to roam savanna and desert areas, grazing on plants alongside giraffes and zebras. The ostrich was once known as the “camel bird," because of its long neck, large eyes, long eyelashes, and unique walk. Like camels, ostriches can also tolerate high temperatures and go without water for days.

Even though they're birds, ostriches cannot fly. Their bodies are simply too large to permit flight. They can, however, run like the wind! Their long, powerful legs can maintain a steady speed of over 30 miles per hour, with short bursts of up to 43 miles per hour. Their wings, while useless for flight, do help them to keep their balance when they run.

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Get your head out of the sand and find a friend or family member to help you explore the following activities:

What does an ostrich look like? They're unique birds for sure! Check out this cool online gallery of Ostrich Pictures to see ostriches in several different settings. Do you think you would ever want an ostrich for a pet? Why or why not?

We all know that cats love birds, but does that apply to ostriches? Unfortunately, it does! Jump online to visit Discovery's website to watch Cheetahs Hunt Ostrich. Who will the battle between these fierce predators and their prey?

Have you ever seen an ostrich egg? They're huge! An ostrich egg would make one big omelet. In the wild, ostrich eggs make a good meal for a predator with the right skills to open the egg. Visit National Geographic online to watch Jackal vs. Ostrich Eggs vs. Vulture to see who wins the race for the prize!

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Mr.Tickles

Jul 28, 2017

What made you ask this question wonderopolis? Also ostriches are really funny when they do their defense mechanism and flop around like a dead fish or known as the ostrich dance look it up on youtube.
Ostrich Dance-Youtube

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DuDeBerry

Hunter

asix

Apr 6, 2017

ours used to dig holes to hide the eggs in..when something made them nervous they would stick their heads into the holes to protect the eggs..and sometimes also used the holes to gather several hatchlings and monitor their safety by sticking their heads in.. so thats where i always assumed the saying came from... So i refuse to label the behavior as a "myth"..just more or less an incomplete reference..but maybe ours were wierd.. they also set their necks flat when nervous which makes them look like a bush..or pretty foolish if you know whats up..but they fight off predators with a tactical team mentality..

Wonderopolis

Mar 26, 2015

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